Charcoal starter



July 8, 1969 n. D. GUNTER 3,453,975

CHARCOAL STARTER Filed Oct. 20, 1967 F (D (3 (0 Mg INVENTOR: r 1 IBALTOND. G UNTER BYM 9 25:14.01

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,453,975 CHARCOAL STARTER Dalton D.Gunter, Rte. 2, Kings Forest, Salisbury, N.C. 28144 Filed Oct. 20, 1967,Ser. No. 676,878 Int. Cl. F23b 3/00, 7/00 US. Cl. 110-1 1 Claim ABSTRACTOF THE DISCLOSURE A charcoal starter wherein a perforate grate member ofpredetermined dimensions is secured in position within an open endedtubular housing of predetermined dimensions by engagement of the gratemember with an internally concave bead which extends circumferentiallyof the housing intermediate the two extremities thereof.

Fire starters for charcoal have heretofore been proposed wherein agenerally tubular member is superposed on a body of ignitible material,charcoal to be ignited is supported above the ignitible material, andthe ignitible material is burned to initiate combustion of the charcoal.Best results with which charcoal starters have been obtained when thecharcoal is supported above and out of immediate contact with theignitible material, so as to permit efficient circulation of air to theignitible material for proper combustion.

Heretofore, and particularly where provision was made for supporting abody of charcoal above a body of ignitible material, such charcoalstarters have frequently been relatively expensive to produce, in thatparticular materials have been required or relatively complicatedmanufacturing steps and procedures must be undertaken. For this reason,charcoal starters of the type described have not been as popular withconsumers as otherwise would be warranted by the ease with which suchstarters ignite charcoal.

With the foregoing in mind, it is an object of the present invention toprovide a charcoal starter which facilitates the initiation ofcombustion in a body of charcoal and which is more easily andinexpensively produced and sturdier when assembled. In realizing thisobject of the present invention, an open ended tubular housing and agrate member are produced by simple straightforward sheet metaloperations, such as shearing and punching, and are assembled to securelyposition the grate member in position to receive and support a body ofcharcoal above a body of ignitible material.

Some of the objects and advantages of the invention having been stated,others will appear as the description proceeds, when taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the charcoal starter of the presentinvention;

FIGURE 2 is an exploded view of the elements comprising the charcoalstarter of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged elevation view, in section, through the charcoalstarter of FIGURE 1, taken substantially along the line 3-3 in FIGURE 1;and

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged detail from the view of FIG- URE 3 taken asindicated by the dashed lines in FIGURE 3.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, the charcoal starter isshown in an overall view in FIGURE 1, and is indicated generally by thenumeral 10. The starter comprises two principal components, namely anopen ended tubular housing 11 and a perforate grate member 12 positionedwithin the housing 11 to partition the volume therewithin.

Preferably, the housing 11 is formed from relatively 3,453,975 Patented.July 8, 1969 thin, incombustible sheet material such as a light gauge ofstainless steel, aluminum or other non-corroding material. Anon-corroding material is preferable, in order that the charcoal starter10 may safely be exposed to the weather. The relatively thin sheet ofmaterial from which the tubular housing 11 is to be formed is iniatiallyin planar sheet form, and the form of the tubular housing 11 is suchthat it may be laid out on such planar material, cut from the material,and thereafter rolled into a tubular or cylindrical con-figuration. Forreasons to be pointed out more fully hereinafter, the preferred form forthe tubular housing is that of a frustum of a right-circular cone,having parallel bases of different diameters. Adjacent one extremity ofthe tubular housing 11 are provided a series of circumferentially spacedapart openings 14, for the admission of air into the housing 11, and aninternally concave circular bead 15 is formed intermediate the openings14 and the other extremity of the housing 11. The bead 15 (FIGURE 4) isformed to provide a concave surface as viewed from the interior of thetubular housing 11 and is therefore referred to as internally concave.

The perforate grate member 12 preferably is formed from the samematerial as the open ended tubular housing 11, and retains a planarform. Aditionally, the grate member 12 is provided with a number ofopenings 16 formed therein, as by punching or the like, and ispositioned within the housing 11 to partition the volume therewithininto ignitible material receiving and charcoal receiving areas, aspointed out more fully hereinafter. The predetermined dimensions of theperforate grate member 12 are such that the member 12 is engaged by theinternal concavity of the head 15 (FIGURE 4) so as to be secured inposition within the housing 11. Preferably, the outline configuration ofthe perforate grate member 12 corresponds to the circularcross-sectional configuration of the housing 11 taken at the bead.

In forming the housing 11 and grate member 12 of the charcoal starter10, and assembling these members into the completed starter, it ispreferred that the bead 15 be located to define a plane substantiallyperpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tubular housing 11.Further, the dimensions of the blank which is rolled to form the tubularhousing 11 are such that the ends of the blank overlap at a side seam,where the housing is secured in tubular form by a plurality of rivets18' or similar fastening means, as is well known in the art ofmanufacturing sheet metal articles. In order to facilitate handling thestarter 10, a handle 19 ofthermally insulating material such as wood isprovided and is secured to the housing 11 intermediate the extremitiesthereof by a pair of spacing members 20 and suitable fastening meanssuch as screws 21 securing the handle 19 and spacer members together.The spacer members 20 are secured to the housing 11 by rivets 18, whichalso function as described above to hold therolled blank in the desiredtubular configuration.

In use, the handle 19 may be gripped by a user to manipulate thecharcoal starter 10 and position the starter standing on the extremityhaving air openings 14 formed adjacent thereto, with the grate member 12overlying a body of ignitible material. Placement of the starter 10 inthis position is facilitated by the tubular housing 11 being ofright-circu1ar conical configuration and the extremity thereof adjacentwhich the openings 14 are formed being the base of greater diameter. Abody of charcoal may be introduced through the other open end of thetubular housing 11 to be supported on the grate member 12 either beforeor after the starter 10 is positioned with the grate rnember overlying abody of ignitible material. With both the ignitible materal and charcoalin position, the ignitible material may be lgmted by any sultable meansand, while burning, will ignite charcoal supported on the grate 12.

Thereafter, when the body of charcoal is fully ignitcd, the starter maybe lifted by the handle 19, the charcoal dumped through the open end ofthe tubular housing 11 into the body of a grill and the starter then setaside to cool.

In the drawings and specification, there has been set forth a preferredembodiment of the invention, and although specific terms are employed,they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not forpurposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in theclaims.

I claim:

1. A charcoal starter comprising:

an open ended tubular housing of predetermined dimensions and in theform of a frustum of a right-circular cone formed from an initiallyplanar thin incombustible sheet material, said sheet materialoverlapping along a longitudinal seam extending the length of saidhousing, said housing having a series of circumferentially spaced apartopenings adjacent the larger extremity thereof and in internally concavecircular bead extending circumferentially of said housing intermediatesaid openings and the smaller extremity of the housing, said beaddefining a plane substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis ofsaid housing.

handle means including a member of thermally insulating material adaptedto be engaged by a hand of a user for manipulation of the charcoalstarter,

a plurality of fastening members penetrating said sheet material alongsaid longitudinal seam with some of said fastening members alsopenetrating said handle means for securing said seam together and forsecur ing said handle means to said housing at said seam, and

a perforate, planar sheet of thin, incombustible material formed with acircular outline configuration substantially identical with the internalcircular crosssectional configuration of said housing taken at said beadand engaging the internal concavity of said bead and secured in positionthereby to partition the volume within said housing,

said charcoal starter adapted to be stood on said larger extremity withsaid grate member overying a body of readily ignitible material andsupporting a body of charcoal so that the ignitible material may befired to ignite the charcoal.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,934,339 11/1933 Winberg 126-5953,112,716 12/1963 Knight.

3,307,506 3/1967 Rose.

3,339,505 9/1967 Bean.

3,384,066 5/1968 Tufts 126--9 FREDERICK KETTERER, Primary Examiner.

